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Standards of etiquette
There are many different customs in Rokugan, all of which if not followed correctly can destroy a samurai’s reputation or worse, have them meet their ancestors in an untimely manner. Everything has a meaning; everything is significant. A single action can start a war, and the right one can stop it. There are unwritten rules that a samurai goes by, many of which are taught early in life. I will only detail a few here, but I could probably write an entire book about Rokugani etiquette and still never cover all of it. Gift Giving In Rokugan, gifts are given to celebrate good service, to announce favor or disfavor with an individual, and to recognize service or honor. The value of a gift is not chosen for its monetary expense, but rather for its sentimental value. If a daimyo wanted to make a very public statement of favor toward his loyal servant, he’d probably give them something dear to his heart, like his father’s fan, or the kimono that the Emperor Hantei 13th once wore while resting in his palace for the weekend. While many Western economies are based on the bartering system, Rokugani’s is based on gift giving. While this may not seem to be a great difference, it is one of the most fundamental differences between western cultures and Rokugan. The way a Rokugani gives you a gift can tell you if he respects you, if he is a friend, or if he is your deadliest enemy. Because samurai are given everything they reasonably need, giving something for its usefulness is considered impolite, if not an outright insult to the samurai and his daimyo. Armor, weapons, horses – all are provided by a samurai’s clan (or, by the Emperor or Emerald Champion, if they are in direct service to the Throne). A samurai’s response to being given money would be “Are you implying that my daimyo doesn’t provide for me?” Similarly, a gift of money is a veiled insult. If a samurai needs something, he asks his Lord: unless it is impossible or impractical, the samurai gets it. What the samurai cannot ask for is the honor of owning the favorite fan of Lady Kachiko, which she held at the coronation of Hantei the 38th… now that’s a gift! Purchasing gifts can be an equally difficult task. Bartering or haggling over an item is considered dishonorable for a samurai, and often, if something must be purchased, a servant is sent to do so. However, if he is attempting to purchase a gift for, say the daimyo of the land, certain things must be taken into consideration. A daimyo can simply take anything in his province that he wishes. It’s all ‘his’ anyway; he just has to decide he wants it. Once he does, the heimin merchant is only too honored to give it to him (after all, it’s good for business when the daimyo selects your wares for his personal use). So, buying something as a gift isn’t going to make too much of an impact. It’s not a bad idea, but it is not going to get you into the Imperial Court any time soon. Literally, in Rokugan, it’s the thought and presentation that counts, more than anything else. Significance, personal meaning, and enlightenment are all key words for gift-choices. Gift giving has its own special rules, and if not followed, can insult the samurai in the most extreme fashion. Gift giving has an order, a very specific order, that must be followed before the gift can be accepted. When a samurai gives another a gift, the recipient must refuse it in a polite manner. The samurai giving the gift then offer it again, but with words explaining why the gift should be received. The recipient must then refuse once more, explaining why he is unworthy of such a gift. The samurai then presents the gift a third and final time, demonstrating his sincerity by continuing to offer it. Only after refusing the gift twice may the recipient accept the gift. This ‘game’ is known to all samurai, but the Crab and Unicorn place less importance upon something they find to be so trivial, however even they follow customs when dealing with samurai outside their clan. Bathing Bathing is extremely important in Rokugan. A samurai who is unclean and does not take proper care of their armor and weapons is treated no better than a mere peasant with a title. Nudity is not the same as it is in the modern day, samurai usually bathe in co-ed bathing areas, and are generally chaperoned when it is not available. Co-ed bathing is NOT encouraged (unless an honor retainer is present), samurai of opposite genders in a bath house together is an abhorrent breach of etiquette and should not be done (unless an honor retainer is present). Just remember, bathing is important, no matter where you are. 'Presenting One's Self ' A samurai may be present himself before a ranking individual if he has been introduced by the shugenja or adviser to that noble lord. Often, if a lord wishes to see another daimyo's retainer, he will have his adviser request that the retainer ask for an appointment with the lord. Then, the lord immediately sets the appointment date (often within hours) and has the meeting. If the samurai is approaching the lord, he must first present himself, a copy of his chop or personal mon, and his questions to the house adviser. If this adviser is the lord's wife or the first courtesan, it is sometimes appropriate for the asking samurai to provide a gift for her, as well as his information. 'Entering and Exiting ' A samurai's house is a sacred place, filled with the spirit of his house and family, and respected by all members of the samurai caste. This respect even extends to enemies of the family, and people the samurai would consider 'untrustworthy'. By carrying their weapons int o another samurai's house, they disrespect a thousand years' worth of ancestors, and risk angering their own. When a samurai arrives at another samurai's home, he is expected to announce himself to the gate man (usually a peasant or ji-samurai), and await the reception of his host or hostess. If the host is not at home, the game man will politely offer the visitor a cup of cha, telling them that host is unavailable, and will be back tomorrow. This is the conventional response, even if the samurai is away for several weeks. It is considered inappropriate to inquire the host's whereabouts, as the host may be in fact home with a more prestigious visitor. The common way to announce yourself when you arrive at the home of another samurai is to present a copy of your shop or personal mon to the gate man, with a short speech identifying yourself, any positions or rank you old, and your business inside the home. Even is the host is not at home, the samurai's mon will be kept so that the host knows who his visitor is. 'Fans ' One might think that on a cold winter's night a fan has little use. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The fan has many many uses, and cooling oneself is just the least imaginative of them. fans come in to basic types: flat fans that are always open, called uchiwa, and fans that folds, known as sunsu. Although both have their origins and primary functions as cooling devices or a means to fan the flames of a cook fire, they have developed other purposes as well. Samurai who lead troops into battle use a special type of flat fan when at war known as a tessen. There are even tales of a samurai using their tessen and even their paper fans as weapons. It is however, the paper fan that finds the most use at Winter Court and in Rokugan society. As with every aspects of a samurai's possessions, his or her fan is an important symbol of his importance and place int he world. Artists use the paper surface of the fan as a canvas for their craft, creating beautiful works of utilitarian art of their patrons. The fan's decorations can consist of anything from clan symbols to landscapes to elegantly written poems in the finest calligraphy. One tale tells of a lord who had hundred of folding fans, each with a different poem written upon it. When a supplicant came before him he would hear the man out in silence, then draw forth a fan from his kimono, unfold it, and fan himself. The poem revealed gave the answer to the supplicant's request. The lord, who despised dealing with such matters, never spoke a word. The fan has other uses as well. Many at court, particularly women, use fans to hide their mouths while they speak. Those looking on from across a room or gardens cannot know whether she is speaking or not. The nobles at court have developed an entire body language of fan gestures. From the simple way a samurai waves his fan, unfolds it, points it or lets it rest in his hand, he conveys messages to others. Some of these are widely known, such as the habit of opening and then closing a fan when one becomes bored of a certain speaker, or the quick crack of a fan snapping open in anger at a perceived insult. Others are particular to clans or families, allowing them to communicate secrets in the open without others grasping their meaning. The Crane clan and Doji family in particular have a detailed and precise "fan language". 'Hair and Makeup ' Male samurai wear their hair long, and bound up in various styles. Though the classic style, in which the top of the head is shaved and the rest of the hair oiled into a queue that is folded forward over the crown, is popular, there are a number of other hairstyles. The simplest version is tying the hair into a knot or ponytail at the back of the head. Alternatively, the hair is wrapped with a ribbon so that it sticks out and up, like a brush; with this style, the crown may or may not be shaved. Many helmets have an opening on the back of the head through which the hair can be pulled. Many Crane dye their hair white, in remembrance of Doji Hayaku, while some Lion dye theirs golden. The Dragon frequently shave their heads entirely, monk-style, and sometimes decorate their baldness with tattoos. Samurai women (and geisha) wear their hair very long, either tied into a foxtail or piled up in elaborate braids and loops, secured by combs and pins. For a woman, having her hair cut off is a great mark of shame. Pale skin is prized, and even peasant women never expose their faces to the sun if they can help it.